Manufacture of gases and gaseous atmospheres of non-oxidizing character.



H. FRASCH, DECD.

E. B. FRASGH 5: F. I. WHITON, BXBUUTRIOES. MANUFACTURE OF GASES AND GASBOUS ATMOSPHERES OF NON-OXIDIZING CHARACTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1014. 1 1 1 8,899. Patented Nov. 24. 1914.

ED STATES PATENT oFFioE.

HERMAN FRASCH, DECEASED, LATE OF NEW YORK, N. Y., BY ELIZABETH BLEE- FRASCH, OF NEW YORK, AND FRIEDA ERASCH WHITON, 0F HEWLETT, NEW

YORK, EXECUTRICES.

MANUFACTURE OF GASES AND GASEOUS ATMOSPHERES OF NON-OXIDIZING CHARACTER.

Specification'ol? Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

Original application filed June 11, 1897, Serial No. 640,366. Divided and this application filed September 28, 1914. Serial No. 863,969.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that HERMAN FRASCH, late a citizen of the United States and a resident of New York city, Manhattan borough, New York County, in the State of New York, in-

vented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Gases and Gaseous Atmospheres of Non-Oxidizing Character, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture, for all the uses to which the same may be adapted, of what is believed to be a new, useful and ori inal composition of matter in the form of a gas and also of what is believed to be a new, useful and original atmosphere of non-oxidizing character, composed of said gas. In the application which Herman Frasch filed June 11, 1897, and which has been officially numbered 640,366, a non-oxidizing atmosphere composed of said gas is described as forming part of certain improvements therein claimed in processes of and apparatus for hot rolling iron or steel or more generally for protecting hot metal from oxidation; but in the conduct of said application it has been officially decided that the preparation of the said gas and of a gaseous atmosphere in general of nonoxidizing character composed thereof is not so related to said improvements in hot rolling iron or steel or more generally in protecting hot metal from oxidation as to allow claims to them respectively to be joined in the same patent. The application for the present patent has, therefore, been filed. It is a division and continuation of said application of June 11, 1897.

Combustion gases, when produced simply by passage of air through a coke or other suitable tire, are of a non-oxidizing character; but they are apt, as was discovered by said Herman Frasch, to contain enough uncombined oxygen to make desirable a more perfect freedom of the same therefrom. He also discovered that a more complete removal of uncombined oxygen from air could be effected by mingling a combustible gas or vapor such as hydrogen or a Volatilized hydrocarbon with the air on its way to the gas producer, as, for example, by carbureting the air on its way thereto, than by conducting the air thereto without such combustible gas or vapor. As a result of the reaction in the coke, the oxygen of the air combines with the carbon of the incandescent coke or of the hydrocarbon in part directly and in part (it is believed) indirectly by first uniting with hydrogen to form water, which is then decomposed, thereby givmg rise (in one or other or in both ways) to uncombined hydrogen. The result is a mixture of nitrogen, carbonic oxid and dioxid and uncombined hydrogen, with practically no uncombined oxygen, or, at all events, with less uncombined oxygen than would exist in the combustiongases if the preliminary admixture of combustible gas or vapor with the airhad been omitted.

Prior to the invention of said Herman Frasch mixtures of hydrocarbon vapors and air had been subjected, or it had been proposed to subject them to elevated temperatures, and in one instance at least to pass such a mixture through incandescent coke; but in all such cases the sole recognized object wasto obtain a combustible gas of increased capacity ior illuminating, for heating or for generating power in explosion engines by the presence in said gas of incondensable (or practically incondensable) aeriform hydrocarbons in appropriately large proportions. There was no purpose in any case to render combustion gases more perfectly non-oxidizing in character.

In accordance with the present invention combustible gas or vapor is mingled with the air in comparatively small proportion, best in such small proportion as to be (at least mainly) decomposed with the forma' tion of uncombined hydrogen and of one or other or both of the oxids of carbon; and the process as a whole is best conducted in such manner as to yield a gas of non-combustible character, unsuited for illuminating or heating purposes or for generating power in explosion engines. To utilize the said gas in the formation of a non-oxidizing atmos of any suitable description, such, for eX- without intermediate storage, into such receptacle or receptacles as may serve for the desired application of the gas.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a diagram in plan view, partly in horizontal section, of apparatus for generating the gas and utilizing it as a non-oxidizing atn'iosphere; and Fig. a diagram of the same, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, without the receptacle (indicated in Fig. 1) for ap plying the gas. g v

The gas generating means consist of an air blower or fan K which delivers air to the combustion chamber of an airgas-producer K, a portion being diverted on its way thereto through the carbureting vessel K, which contains petroleum naphtha or other suitable hydrocarbon and which may be of any suitable construction. All the air might be passed through the carburetor K"; but it is considered best to carburet only to a slight extent. By closing to a greater or less extent the valve 7 in the by-pass across the carbureter, a greater or less proportion of the air will be forced through the latter. The air, mingled with hydrocarbon vapor by passing a portion thereof through the carbureter K, is brought in contact with incandescent carbon in the air-gas-producer K. Thus a non-oxidizing gas is obtained which consists mainly of nitrogen, with smaller proportions of carbonic oxid and dioxid and of hydrogen. The gas is most advantageously of a non-combustible character; which character can be secured by appropriately controlling carburation in carbureter K and combustion in the air-gasproducer K". It is also advantageous that the volume of uncombined hydrogen in the gas should at least exceed its content (if any) of undecomposed or only partly decomposed hydrocarbons, which predominance in volume of uncombined hydrogen can be secured by appropriately controlling the carburation in carbureter K as aforesaid. The gas from the producer K may be passed through a purifying apparatus ample, as a condenser L and scrubber L of the kind common in gas works. The so purified gas passes (as shown) to a gas holder M and thence by way of pipe 6 into a receptacle F forholding and applying it as a non-oxidizing atmosphere for such purpose as may be desired. In order to prevent air from entering said receptacle. F, the gas therein may well be subjected to pressure, as by suitably loading or counterbalancing the bell of the gas holder 1W, so that the barometric pressure within the receptacle halances or slightly overba-lances that of the outside atmosphere.

Modifications can be made indefinitely so long as matterwithin the scope of any one 1,1 races or more of the plaims at the close of this specification is taken. The non-oxidizing gas of said claims is primarily, but not necessarily exclusively, of a non-combustible character. It is also primarily, but not necessarily exclusively, free from hydrocarbons to such extent that the uncombined hydrogen predominates at least in volume over such hydrocarbons (if any) as may be present. Some steam could be passed with the air through the incandescent coke, if so preferred. In. specifying that the combusti ble gas or vapor is primarily the vapor of hydrocarbons, other appropriate gas or vapor (as hydrogen, for example) is not necessarily excluded.

The percentage of Water vapor in the gas when produced as aforesaid should be insignificant; but, for further assurance, or where the gases contain moisture as the result of a cleansing operation or otherwise, they may (if considered necessary or expedient) be dried by passage through or over sulfuric acid or calcium chlorid or other dehydrating agent before admission to the receptacle or receptacles for applying the same as a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

What is claimed herein as the invention or discovery of the said HERMAN FRAsoH is:

1. The process of making the described gas, which process consists in passing air mingled with a small proportion only of a combustible hydrogen containing gas or vapor, primarily vapor of hydrocarbons, in contact with incandescent carbon, substantially as described.

2. The process of preparing a non-oxidizing atmosphere, which process consists in passing air mingled with a small proportion only of a combustible hydrogen containing gas or vapor, primarily vapor of hydrocarbons, in contact With incandescent carbon, and conducting the so produced gas into and confining it within a receptacle in which said gas is utilized as a non-oxidizing atmosphere, substantially as described;

3. The described gas, which has the composition and properties of the gaseous products from passing air mingled With a small proportion only of combustible gas or vapor, primarily vapor of hydrocarbon, in contact With incandescent carbon, the same being constituted in largest proportion by nitrogen and in'smaller proportions by carbonic oxid and dioxid and uncombined hydrogen and being characterized bythe more perfectnon-oxidizing character of the aforesaid gaseous products as compared with those from passing air alone in contact with incandescent carbons, substantially as described.

l. A non-oxidizing atmosphere, which i proportion only of combustible gas or vapor, primarily vapor of hydrocarbon, in contact with incandescent carbon, and being appropriately confined Within a receptacle Wherein said gas is utilized as such atmosphere, said gas being constituted in largest proportion by nitrogen and in smaller proportions by carbonic oxid and dioxid and uncombined hydrogen and being characterized by the more perfect non-oxidizing character of the aforesaid gaseous products as compared with those from passing air alone in contact with incandescent carbon, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we ailix our signa- 15 tures in presence of two witnesses.

ELIZABETH BLEE FRASCH,

FRIEDA FRASCH WHITON,

Eweoutrices. Witnesses;

GEORGE SOHERFF, W. KEMMLER. 

